Track-cleaner.



H. QUERTIER. TRAGK CLEANER.

APPLIOATION HLBD AUG. e, 1907.

Patented 0015.5, 1909.

z sHEB'Ts-snnm 1.

llllIll-llllllllli lzveiwr.

H. QUERTIER. TRACK CLEANER.

APPLIoATloN FILED AUG. e, 1907.

Patented 001;. 5, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. duced b UNITED sTArEs I gENr OFFICE,

f HILNRY QUERTIER, 0F DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND.

TRACK-CLEANER..

speioationvof Letters Patent.

ratented ont. 5, 1909.

Application led August 6, 1907. .Serial No. 387,280.

To all 'wwm 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, I-IILARY QUERTIER, a subject of His Ma'esty the Kin of Great Britain and'Ireland, residing at oods Hotel, Dunedin, inthe rovincial district of Otago, New Zealand, ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track- Cleaners, of which the following is aspeciication.

According to this invention tramways and roads are cleaned by means of a vacuum inscraped rom the rails by plows and brushes is delivered into hoppers. The apparatus is mounted upon a vehicle propelled by a motor operated b electricity, suction gas or any other suita l'e motive power.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fiv'ure 1 is a side elevation Fig. 2 a plan, and Fi 3 a cross sectional elevation on line A-A,`ig. 1 of the cleaner, Fig. 4 is a side elevatlon, and Fig. 5 an end elevation of a brush hood, Fig. 6 an elevation partly in section of delivery a paratus, Fig. 7 is a front elevation of an e ectric controller, Fig. 8 a sectional plan thereof on line B-B, Fig. 7, Fi 9 an elevation of part of a brush hood ig. 10 is a side elevation of a slide, and Fi 11 a sectional elevation on` line C-(l, ig. 10.

The brush hood consisting of front and back plates 1 andf 2 respectlvely, united at the top and ends by a. plate 3 has removable plate 4 for obtaining access to the interior. The bottom or mouth ofthe hood is fitted with a ring 5 adjustable?` vertically thereon and suspended upon studs projecting from springs 7 secured to the hoods by rivets 8L A plurality of holes 9 are provided in the ring wherein the studs 6 may be passed for adjustin the height of the ring.

A hood" provided upon each side of the vehicle is attached to the framing 10 of the cleaner above the-tramway rail. A circular brush 11 mounted in each hood upon a shaft 12 is composed of bristles or of leather plates having one edge cut to the contour of the rails and secured side by side around the hub of the wheel. A slot 12a is provided, in

each hood to admit the shaft 12, and theprovided wit-h a fans or the like whereby dirtj usted.

The brushes are driven by toothed wheels 12b secured to an axle 14 of the vehicle and gearing with a pinion 12m secured to a shaft l2 mounted in a bearing 12n through the medium of a sprocket chain 15 which passes around the sprocket wheel 12l secured to the shaft 12n and around a sprocket pinion 17 secured upon the shaft- 12. A pipe 18 connects the hood to an exhaust fan 19 driven by an elect-ric motor 20 or by sprocket gear similar to the gear just described and employed for driving the brushes.

The fan draws away dust from the hood and delivers it into a separator 22 and through a sloping bottom 23 thereof. The head 24 of the pipe 21 is curved and .its angle is adjustable for the purpose of directing the dust to the sloping bottom 23. The head 24 has an angle iron rim 16 adapted to lit against a corresponding rim 24a upon the pi e 21,v and to which it is connected by bo ts 24b passing through curved slots 24 and by wing nuts 24d. The dust falls from the separator through the opening 25 and the air escapes through the opening y26 at the top thereof. By making the opening 26 of large size the air escapes at a low pressure and at a consequent low velocity allowing the dust to separate from the air.

The dust may be removed from the hopper through a door 28 or drawn therefrom by an ejector 29 operated by water pressure, a hose pipe 30 being provided for connecting the ejector to a street hydrant, or the dust may be collected in a sack hungfupon hooks below the opening 25. In conjunction with the circular brush I use plows 32 and 33 havin hoods 34 and 35 covering the tops and acks of the plows and into which the dust scraped from the rails is delivered. j Flexible pipes 36 and 37 connect these hoods with the suction pipe 18 whereby dust is drawn from the plows and delivered into the hopper. By closing the opening 26 and operating the fans the dust may lie-discharged through the door 28.

The hoods upon each side of a vehicle are connected together by a trough 39 having a flaring mouth 40 through which dust is drawn from the track between the hoods and delivered by the fans into the hopper. Where the track is uneven l employ a pipe 40 provided with a cock 40b and having branches 4Q and 40cl extending down to the track. By opening the cock the dust is blown from the center of the track toward the brushes 1l. removed is merely li ht dust I emplo pipes 40 branching from t e pipe 40a (see ig. 1) and having nozzles 40r whereby the dust is blown out of therail grooves, and I may then dispense with the plows and merely blow the dust into the hoods.

A swiveling pipe 41 is connected to one of the fans 19 and has a telescopic end 42 provided with a flaring mouth 43 and operable by a chain or cord 44 passing through the top of the pipe and over a friction pulley 45. The end 43 is suspended at any desired hei ht above the road at the side of the vehiclge and secured by a cord 44 upon the cleat 46. 'Ihe pipe 41 may be swiveled by the motorman. Instead of using brush ll as shown I may substitute therefor a plow and dispense with the plows at the front and rear of the hood and as a further alternative I may use a fixed in place of a revolving brush.

Fig. 6 shows apparatus for use when the dust is very dry and light and consists of a pipe 48 connecting the opening 26 to a tank 49 in which is stored a quanity of water upon the surface of which dust and wind escaping from the separator 22 is discharged. When the apparatus is driven by electricity I employ a controller shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and comprising a casing 50 wherein is contained a tumbler switch 51 operable from the outside by a slider 52 guided at each end by the casing. Each end of the slider has an insulated operating handle 53. rIhe handle 53a of the switch 51 has the usual ball end 53b and I provide a hole in the slides 52 to receive the said ball end. 'Ihe casing 5() is made watertight and has a sliding door 54 to permit of access to the interior thereof. In conjunction with this controller I yprovide a speed controller, comprising a spiral wire 55 mounted revolubly and provided with an insulated button 56. An electric terminal 57 slidable on a rod 58 parallel to the wire 55 and having a groove in its end 59 adapted to lit the spiral wire, receives the end of an insulated wire 60. The lowerl end of the spiral wire is pivoted in a terminal 61 to which the end of an insulated wire 62 is fixed. By operating the button 56 the spiral wire is made to rotate and thereby raise or lower the terminal 57 to bring it closer to or take farther away from the terminal 6l. The electrical resistance is thus increased or diminished and the speed of the motor regulated as required.

In Fig. 9 is shown a further modication of an adjustable ring at the bottom of the Where the material to be hoods 1, and consists of a leather band 64 surrounding the bottom of and depending 'from the hoods and provided with protectors 65 consisting of metal plates secured to the band 64. The band is secured tothe hood 1 by a leather strap66 passing around the 11:00? and through holes 67 provided in the What I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In 'apparat-us for the purpose indicated circular brushes, a shaft upon which the brushes are mounted, means for rotating the brushes, hoods inclosing the brushes, slotted to receive the brush shaft, and open at the bottom, and fans drawing the air and dust from the hoods, substantially as set forth.

2. In apparatus for the purpose indicated circular brushes, a shaft upon which the vbrushes are mounted means for rotating the brushes, hoods inclosing the brushes slotted to receive the brush shaft and open at the bottom, slides covering the slots, adjustable rings surrounding the bottom of hoods, and fans drawing the air and dust from the hoods substantially as set forth.

3. In apparatus for the purpose indicated circular brushes, a shaft upon which the brushes are mounted, means for rotating the brushes, hoods inclosing the brushes slotted to receive the brush shaft, and open atthe bottom, adjustable rings surrounding the bottom of the hoods, springs having pins for passing into holes .provided in the rings and fans drawing the air and dust from the hoods, substantially as set forth. 4. In apparatus for the purpose indicated in combination, fans, pipes discharging from the fans, separators having sloping bottoms upon which the fans discharge, hoppers into which the separators discharge, and an ejector, substantially as set forth.

5. In apparatus for the purpose indicated in combination, fans, pipes discharging from the fans, separators having sloping bottoms upon whichthe fans discharge, hoppers into which, the separators discharge, a tank containing water and a pipe leading from the separator and discharging upon the surface of the water, substantially as set forth.

6. In apparatus for the purpose indicated a fan, and a pipe extending to the ground adapted to swivel sidewise of the apparatus, and connected to the fan, substantially as set forth.

y 7. In apparatus for the purpose indicated a fan, a pipe extending to the ground adapted to swivel sidewise and connected to the fan, a telescopic end to the pipe and means for suspending the telescopic end above the ground, substantially as set forth.

8. In apparatus for the purpose indicated, a hood, a brush within the hood, and a fan for drawing air and dust from the hood, substantially as set forth.

9. In apparatus for the purpose indicated, a easing, a slider having its ends projecting through the casing, an insulated handle upon each end of the slider, a tumbler switch within the casing having its handle operable by the slider, substantially as set forth.

l 10. In apparatus for the purpose indicated a rotatable spiral wire introduced into the electric circuit of an electric motor, an insulated handle for rotating the spiral wire, an electric terminal engaging the spiral wire, a rod parallel to the spiral wire and upon which the electric terminal isslidably mounted, and another electric terminal in which the bottom of the wire is pivoted, substantially as set forth.

l1. In apparatus for the purpose indicated, a hood open at the bottom, a leather band surrounding the bottom of the hood and depending therefrom, protectors of metal secured to the band, and a strap securing the band to the hood, substantially as set forth.

l2. In apparatus for the purpose indicated, rotatable brushes, hoods inclosing the brushes and open at the bottom, fans drawing air and dust from the hoods, and a branched pipe connected to the discharge of' the fans and extending to the track between the brushes, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HILARY QUERTIER. Vitnesses S. D. NEILL, SAMUEL PHILIP F. MIRAMS. 

